Oil filter



Aug. 17, 1943. M. BOLSER 2,327,011

OIL FILTER Filed May 12. 1939 rzuerrwr 670/98 iilfioaen 136% 9 g [1&5

Patented Aug. 17, 1943 UNITED STATES" PATENT OF-FlCE I a 2,327,011" v Claims. (Cl- 123-196),-

- An object of my present invention is to provide an oil filter which is inexpensive to manufacture due to its simplicity of construction and which includes a filter insert that is economical to manufacture and can therefore be periodically re-,

placed without great expense.

Another object is to provide an oil filter particularly adapted for use in connection with automobile engines and including a housing that can be'readily mounted on the breather tube of the automobile and connected with any part of the oiling system under pressure, whereby the necessity of mounting brackets'for the filter are entirely eliminated.

A further object is to provide an oil filter which includes a removable insert, the insert having within it a filter bed and also a sediment trap so that when the filter insert is removed, the

sediment is also removed with it and can be thrown away thus eliminating the necessity of cleaning out a-sediment .sump as in the usual type of oil filter.

Another object is to provide the sediment trap ting a considerable percentage of the sediment to settle out of the oil before it passes through the filter bed. Another object is to provide an oil filter which can be readily connected with the supply of oil under pressure by the use of only one connection to receive the oil, the oil being discharged in a small stream down the center of the breather tube so that breathing air passing in and out of the breather tube will effectively carry out vapors from the filtered oil.

Still another object is to provide a housing for the filter insert having a space in it for the breathing air to pass around the filter and warm the filter thus hastening the filter action particularly when ,the engine is operated from a cold start, the housing having a relatively large air filter for communicating the interior of the housing to atmosphere in such manner that the breathing air passes in and out of the air filter at a relatively low velocity.

Another object is to provide a filler opening 'for replenishing the supply of oil, such opening Still a further object is to provide a filter in-, sert which has a fitting that ooacts with a fitting in the housing of the oil filter with both an inlet and an outlet connection made through the cofactin'g fittings. of the housing and filter insert thus eliminating the necessity of, connections at opposite ends of the filter insert. With these and other objects in view myinvention consists in the construction, arrangement andcombination' of the various parts of my device, whereby the obiects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth,

pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawing. Although the invention is susceptible of a variety ofembodlments, it is unnecessary to fully describe and illustrate more than one in order to give a full understanding of the invention both from its structural and functional standpoints. Accordingly, I have illustrated a preferred and desirable embodiment of the invention in the accompanying drawing, in which: V

Figure l is a vertical'sectional view through an oil filter embodying my invention and showing it mounted on the breather tube of an automobile.

Figure 2 is a view partly in plan elevation and partly in section .on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a similar view partly in plan elevation and partly in section on the line 3-4 of Figure 1 and showing only the filter insertof my oil filter.

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of my filter insert.

the line 5-5 of Figure 1; .and Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view of a modified structure.

On the accompanying drawing I have used the reference numeral III to indicate a breather tube of an automobile engine 'or the like. These breather tubes are usually capped with an air filter which I remove and in place of it substitute a housing I! having a cover l3. To positively retain the housing I: onthe breather tube being located centrally of the air filter and over the filter insert so that oil poured intothe filler opening flows down over the filter insert and then into the breather tube.

I0 I provide a clamp H "and a clamp bolt Ila. The housing l2 has a tubular extension Ha surrounding the breather tube III and the clamp II in turn surrounds the sleeve liar. The sleeve Ila may be notched as at lZb to permit contraction thereof around the breather tube in when the clamp bolt Ila is-tightened.

Within the housing It I provide a fitting l4 secured to the housing as by rivets l5 passing through a plurality of circumferential feet it formed on the fitting.

Figure 5 is a sectional view of my oil filter on I ing a copper tube 2| to the extension I1.

The fitting I4 has a tubular extension I! and formed in this extension and in the fitting I4 is an inlet or oil receiving passageway I8. The ex tension I1 passes through a boss I9 of the housing I2 and may be soldered or brazed thereto. On its outer end a nut is provided for attach- The tube 2I may extend to any part of the oiling system of the automobile where the oil is under pressure (by way of'example the oil line to the pressure gauge may be tapped for this purpose),

the fitting I4 also includes an oil discharging or outlet passageway 22'.

Within the housing I2 is a detachable filter insert comprising a casing 23 having bottom and top walls 24 and 25. A fitting 26 is soldered or otherwise sealed to the bottom 24 and screw threadedly coacts with the fitting I4. The fittings I4 and 26 are provided with coasting seats 21 and 28.

Within the casing 23 is a filter bed 29 formed of suitable fibrous material such as cotton waste or the like and confined between a lower perthe passageway 22 to finally fall as a small stream Breathing air which continually passes in and out of the breather tube III as indicated by the arrows 41 completely surrounds the oil stream 46 thus carrying ofi anyvapors therefrom which reduces crank case dilution to a minimum. The breathing air is filtered by the air filter 42 and passes through the air openings H at a greatly reduced velocity because of the considerable number of openings H in the periphery of the cover I3. The construction of the air filter is such that it surrounds the filler opening 38 and thereby provides considerable peripheral extent for the air openings 4| thus gainingthe desired low veloeity'air interchange through the filter v atmosphere.

forated plate 30 and an upper perforated-plate 31. The plate 30 is supported ona peripheral head 32 of the casing 23 while the plate 3| is spaced from the top of the filter insert casing by radial ribs 33.

A return tube 34 extends through the plates and 3| and has its lower end seated in-the fitting 26. Its upper end may be notched as at 35 to permit reception of ,oil into the return tube 34 from the space in the casing 23 between the plate 3I and the top 25.

The fitting 26 is provided with a passageway 36 which communicates with an annular space 31 formed in the fittings I4 and 26 surrounding the seats 21 and 2B. The return tube 34 is substantially aligned with the passageway 22 while the passageway I8 opens into the annular space 31. r

The cover I3 has a central sleeve 38 constituting a filler opening. A bottom plate 39 is .pro-

vided in the cover I3 and is perforated as at 40. At "the periphery of the cover I3 air openings M are provided which communicate with atmosphere within the cover I3 above the plate 39 and surrounding the sleeve 38 I provide air filtering material 42 such as oiled copper wool or the like.

A closure member 43 is provided for the fille r opening 38. It may be formed ofjsuitable material such as sheet metal.

Practical operation cent of the sediment therefrom as indicated at The oil then fiows upwardly through the pla 30, filter bed 29 and plate -3I and any sediment prevented'from passing through the filter bed tends to settle to the bottom of the sediment trap 45. The filtered oil fiows between the beads 33 to the notches35 and enters the return tube It then passes downwardly through the return tube and through the seats 28 and 21 and When it is desirable to supply the engine with new oil, the filler plug 43 may be removed and the oil poured in so that it passes over the filter insert and down into the breather tube I 0 between the supporting legs I6 of the fitting I4. Thus my oil filter does not interfere with the normal functioning of the filler tube.

The filter insert consisting of the parts 23 to 34 inclusive and having the sediment trap 44 therein may be economically formed of sheet tin with the exception of the fitting 26 which may be a heavier metal stamping. Thus it is feasible to entirely discard the filter insert when it has filtered the .oil during two or three thousand miles of driving. It is a comparatively simple matter to remove the cover I3 and then unscrew the filter insert throw it away and replace it with a new one. The cover I3 may then be replaced and the entire operation takes less than a minutes time. 'I'he'coaction of the fittings I4 and 26 is such that both inlet and outlet connections are made to the filter and sediment trap without the use of tools or any complication of operation. Iii it so happens'that the seats 21 and 28 do not properly cooperate, leakage may occur across from the passageway I-8 to the passageway 22, but no harmis done except that the desired filtering action does not occur. If the filter becomes clogged, a bypass valve 48 between the passageway I8 and the bottom of the fitting. I4 will open, the spring of the valve being set at a pressure somewhat in excess of that developed by the Pump connected with the tube 2] under normal operating conditions.

By including the sediment trap in the detachable filter insert there is no necessity whatever of cleaning .out the sediment after the filter insert is removed. This greatly simplifies the servicing of the filter and makes it possible to service it without the service man getting his hands all oily or spilling oil on the engine in any way. The filter insert is mounted in the housing i2 so that it is subject only to the breathing air passing through the housing and can do no more than collect a slight film or oil from the vapors passin throughthe housing. u

In Figure 6 I show diagrammatically a modified structure in which parts having the same general characteristics are provided with the same reference numerals with the addition 0! a. The fitting 26a supports an outer casing consisting of a bottom 24a, a peripheral wall 23a and a top wall 25a. Within this casing the means for hold,-

ing the filter bed 29a consists of an imperiorate bottom wall 30a, a perforate tube 34a and a perforate peripheral wall 30b. This arrangement provides a sediment sump or collecting space 44a and a sediment gravitating space b, the oil flowing from the fitting I 4 of Figure 1 fiows radially outward through openings 36a into the sediment collecting space Ma and then upwardly through the gravitating space Mb. It thereupon flows horizontally instead of vertically through the filter bed 290 from the perforate wall 301) to the perforate tube 30a. From the tube it then drops downwardly by gravity as in the structure shown in Figure 1. This arrangement is a little more eflicient from the standpoint of settling out the sediment and preventing it from passing into the filter.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my device without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims, any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents, which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an oil fi1ter,-a housing mounted on a breather tube, a removable cover for said housing to permit addition of fresh oil to the breather tube, a self contained filter insert detachably mounted in said housing and comprising a filter bed, a sediment trap and an imperforate casing for said filter bed and sediment trap, said imperiorate casing containing and completely enclosing all of said filter bed therein upon removal of said insert from said housing, tion to discharge oil into said sediment trap, and means to discharge oil from said filter bed into said breather tube,

2. In a filter oi the character disclosed, a housing adapted for mounting on a breather tube of an engine, a removable cover for said housin to permit fresh oil passage to the breather tube, a fitting in said housing having an inlet passageway and an outlet passageway, said housing being open to said breather tube and to atmosphere, and means detachably mounted on said fitting for filtering sediment from oil leaving said fitting through said inlet passageway and returning to said outlet passageway thereof, said outlet passageway being so arranged as to discharge the filtered oil in a stream into a part of the breather-tube which permits breathing air pass- I ing therethrough around such stream to carry away vapor from such filtered oil and discharge it through said housing to atmosphere.

3. In a filter of the character described, a housing adapted for mounting on a breather tube of an engine, a fitting therein having an oil receiving passageway and an oil discharging passageway, means mounted on said fitting for filtering oil passing from said oil receiving passageway to said oil discharging passageway, said oil discharging passageway being located substantially on the axis of said breather tube whereby to discharge filtered oil in a stream through the center thereof and surrounded by breathing air passing through the breather tube whereby to effect carrying off of vapor from the discharged oil, said breathing air passing around said filter means to heat the same, a cover for said housing having a central opening to receiv replacement oil, a closure member therefor, and an air filter surrounding said opening and closure member and having air openings communicating with atmosphere and arranged at the periphery of said cover.

mounting on a breather tube of an engine, a

an oil connecfitting therein having an oil receiving passageway and an oil discharging passageway, means mounted on said fitting for filtering oil passing from said oil receiving passageway 'to said oil discharging passageway, space in said housing for breathing air to pass around said filter means, a cover for said housing having an opening to receive replacement oil to be supplied to the breather tube around said filter means while it remains therein, and a closure member therefor.

5. In a filter of the character described, a housing adapted for mounting on a breather tube'of an engine, a fitting therein having an oil receiving passageway ar' an oil discharging passageway, means mounted. on said fitting for filtering oil passing from said oil receiving passageway to said 011 discharging passageway, said oil discharging passageway eiiecting discharge of illtered oil in a stream into said breather tube whereby breathing air passing threthrough eflects carrying oil? of vapor from the filtered oil, said breathing air passing around said filter, and a cover for said housing having air openings communicating with atmosphere and arranged at the periphery of said cover.

CLARK M. BOLSER. 

